In announcing his retirement from the NFL on Monday, Julian Edelman said, "the wheels have finally fallen off." Without an infusion of talent at wide receiver in his stead, the New England Patriots' passing attack risks the same fate.
It could be argued, of course, that the collapse already occurred last year, when New England suffered its first losing season in two decades as the team encountered plenty of turbulence in the quarterback transition from Tom Brady to Cam Newton. But with Newton back again and Bill Belichick seemingly determined to repair last year's problem areas, the outlook at wide receiver looks increasingly unstable as Edelman exits the picture.